Chapter 47
At Lee Ganghan's words that he had risen to C grade.
Shin Yuri just blinked her eyes.
'No way, how long has it been since you became D grade......'
It definitely hadn't even been a week since he destroyed the tower and publicly revealed being D grade.
And in that time, his grade rose again.
How could this be possible?
Then Shin Yuri suddenly recalled today's streaming video of Lee Ganghan.
"I see, you seemed stronger today than yesterday...... so it was because you rose to C!"
"That's right."
"Then we'll have to renegotiate with foreign countries! We'll be able to get even better conditions than this time!"
Saying that this meant the possibility of Heavenly Demon Constitution's disappearance had virtually vanished.
Shin Yuri's eyes sparkled as she confidently said she would negotiate for higher contract conditions.
Then.
"Actually, I'd like to stay in Korea for the time being, if possible."
Lee Ganghan said this while recalling his room.
The dresser that had forcibly dragged him to the First Tower.
He had investigated the room afterward, but there was nothing special about it.
Still.
'If I figure out why I went to the First Tower from that room...... I can secure another means to go to the First Tower.'
For Lee Ganghan, the means to go to the First Tower.
The item 'First Tower's Seal' was already in his inventory.
However, the seal had a 2-week cooldown period.
If he could figure out the 'device' that sucked him into the First Tower from his room.
He could enter the First Tower more frequently.
Of course.
The Guardian of the First Tower's basement floor 1.
He needed to be confident he could beat 'Christopher Columbus' to go there.
'Now I can manage it.'
Compared to when he was flustered at sea.
Now that Heavenly Demon Constitution had risen to C grade and he had become stronger.
He could definitely handle Columbus's sea.
He had to repay that debt as soon as possible.
"But...... even with such a difference in contracts?"
Shin Yuri said this while placing several contract documents side by side on the table for comparison.
Compared to Korea's contract conditions with performance bonus conditions attached all over.
The 180-degree contrasting proposals from Saudi Arabia, the US, and China.
"Well, if I receive all the performance bonuses, the Korean proposal is the best."
"That's obviously...... because they only wrote down impossible achievements."
It wasn't even teasing people.
They didn't give big money for achievable performance bonuses.
Only the items that seemed impossible had amounts like 5 billion written down casually in the contract.
But.
"Didn't one of them get achieved?"
"That's......"
"And who knows about the score? These days they say levels don't go up anymore, so score points accumulate instead."
"......"
C grade was already achieved.
And score ranking 50th place was also possible.
Since he had reached level 25, and levels stopped going up with scores accumulating instead.
No one knew what effect this would bring.
"So for the time being...... you want to stay in Korea?"
"Yes. I have some things to do in Korea."
"Is it about finding your mother that you mentioned before?"
"Yes, that's part of it...... and I have things to handle related to my house too."
Finding his mother's whereabouts.
Until he found the 'device' that could take him to the First Tower.
He was reluctant to emigrate to a foreign country.
"So I was thinking."
Swish.
Lee Ganghan picked up the Korean contract with incentive clauses attached all over it.
"Can we fleece this guy?"
"......What?"
"Seeing how petty this trickery is, I want to play some tricks too."
Swish.
While saying this, Lee Ganghan waved the contract with his hand.
"Let's ask for more incentives and fleece him completely?"
"Ask for more...... here?"
"Yes. They probably think this is a sucker contract that won't be achieved anyway. But one has already been achieved, and the score...... I think it's worth trying. Korean players have decreased a lot recently too, haven't they?"
The 2 incentive clauses put forward saying they could never be achieved.
C grade among them was already achieved.
Score ranking 50th place was also realistically impossible for an Iron to achieve, but.
'......If it's Heavenly Demon, it might be possible.'
Diamond players don't enter towers every day like Lee Ganghan.
If he diligently entered towers like now and showed overwhelming performance.
Entering the top 50 wasn't an impossible realm either.
"It seems...... possible."
"Does it?"
At Shin Yuri's positive answer.
Lee Ganghan's lips curved up.
"Then can we fleece him properly so he can never pull such shabby tricks again?"
Until now, Lee Ganghan had listened to Shin Yuri's suggestions and only shown a good-natured appearance.
But now.
It was like touching the whiskers of a sleeping tiger.
Unlike when dealing with Shin Yuri.
Toward the congressman who had annoyed him.
His will to definitively crush him with this opportunity could be felt.
"......"
And Shin Yuri, feeling Lee Ganghan's momentum.
Smiled more happily than ever.
"I will completely follow Heavenly Demon's words. There were quite a few players who left the country because of that bastard Joo Yongwan anyway."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. He's like the core of the anti-player faction. He kept reducing and reducing player benefits, diverting that budget to congressmen's districts. Well, if it was used for district development, I'd consider it...... but he was just busy filling the bellies of companies that sponsor him."
So the core of the anti-player faction.
Was now pulling such tricks to whitewash his image.
"Then I'll...... handle Congressman Joo Yongwan together with my father. I'll get at least double the incentive conditions, so please don't reveal that you're C grade for now, Heavenly Demon."
"Understood."
"But let me ask for your understanding in advance."
"Understanding?"
"I'll be meeting with Congressman Joo Yongwan's side to discuss various things, and I might lie slightly negatively about Heavenly Demon there."
"Negative lies?"
At this, Shin Yuri's voice became slightly quieter.
"Well, for example...... doesn't know much about the world, thinks all incentives are achievable, only trusts his agent so gets easily fooled, that kind of feeling?"
Hmm.
"Are you speaking in roundabout terms?"
"Oh, no!"
Shin Yuri hurriedly waved her hands at those words.
"I was actually surprised today."
"Why?"
"I didn't expect you to say let's properly fleece Congressman Joo Yongwan."
While saying this, Shin Yuri's eyes sparkled.
"Since Congressman Joo Yongwan is at the core of power, I actually couldn't think of touching him...... but seeing Heavenly Demon actively utilize this opportunity made me enlightened. As expected of Heavenly Demon."
"I just dislike annoying things."
Lee Ganghan let out a small laugh.
With Ten Thousand Demon Battle management and First Tower strategy, his brain was already at full capacity.
He didn't want to deal with one congressman picking fights on the side.
"Right! I'll definitely tie him up with incentive-related matters. I'll report to Heavenly Demon each time, so please give instructions anytime!"
"Understood. Then I'll leave that matter to you...... Have any letters appeared in your trait?"
"My trait?"
Shin Yuri, who possessed an SSS grade trait.
She had said letters appeared as she helped with TP exchanges.
Lee Ganghan was curious if letters were still appearing.
"This is a photo I took again recently......"
Swish.
While saying this, Shin Yuri showed him a phone photo.
Failed *** (Grade: SSS)
**You are **** **** **.
**This time *** ***** *** *** *****.
**Instead, the strongest humanity ****** ***.
**The more you assist the strong *** *.
***** *** *** *, *** *** It is.
'More letters have appeared than last time.'
TP exchange definitely seemed to be effective.
Lee Ganghan thought this while looking at the appeared letters.
'I don't know the content, but...... it somehow doesn't seem like an ability description.'
If it was an SSS grade ability, there should be some hint about the ability.
The trait name appears as 'Failed'.
The content tells her to assist the strong.
He wondered if this was really a trait description.
"I still can't grasp what ability it is, but...... letters started opening up rapidly after meeting Heavenly Demon. Thank you once again."
"What did I do? I just exchanged TP."
"Still."
After expressing gratitude to Lee Ganghan two or three times, Shin Yuri said.
"I'll contact Congressman Joo Yongwan's side within today or tomorrow and get stronger incentive clauses. Please wait just a little longer."
"Understood."
Postponing for a few more days wasn't difficult.
Lee Ganghan thought this and put the contract on hold.
And the next afternoon.
Ttiring.
From Shin Yuri.
[Heavenly Demon.]
[I raised all performance bonus items to 3 times.]
[Will you sign today?]
A photo of the contract with performance bonuses increased 3 times from yesterday arrived.
* * *
A little while ago.
Congressman Joo Yongwan's office.
Unlike usual when he came early every day.
Joo Yongwan showed his face at the office at 10 AM.
"Good morning!"
"Ah...... you're all working hard. I'm late."
As he opened his mouth, the faint smell of alcohol wafted through the office.
Click.
When one of the secretaries brought out a hangover remedy.
Joo Yongwan gulped it down.
"Thanks. I had a drink with the Management Office Director and his daughter yesterday."
"You mean Shin Yuri?"
"Yes. That friend is really smooth. She'd do much better in social life than her father."
Joo Yongwan praised Shin Yuri while yawning greatly.
"She said she's having a hard time because that Heavenly Demon guy is such a stubborn person. She apologized several times saying he won't listen even when she tries to persuade him that he must meet me."
"Ah......"
"I wondered why he didn't come to that dinner last time, so that's what happened."
"Yes. She said Heavenly Demon doesn't even know whether incentive contracts or basic salary-focused ones are more advantageous, so she lamented about it."
Someone who doesn't know much about the world at his age.
Lee Ganghan was more clueless than expected.
"Then she subtly let me know about the proposals from the US and China, and the amounts are indeed large. So we decided to increase the incentives by 3 times each."
"What?"
"3 times means......"
"Wouldn't that be too much?"
Lee Ganghan's performance bonus clauses.
This was content that Joo Yongwan's secretaries knew well too.
While they didn't guarantee large amounts for achievable performance.
For things like 'achieving Heavenly Demon Constitution C grade within this month' or.
'Score ranking 50th place,' they offered 5 billion each.
3 times that would be 15 billion each.
This was too large an amount even for Heavenly Demon.
"The amounts other countries bet are too large. She said we need to raise it about 3 times to be persuasive."
"Ah......"
"Besides, the bottom two clauses have no possibility of achievement."
"That's true, but......"
"She said after he gets excited about the 3 times performance bonus, when he can't receive the large amounts after this month passes...... only then will he finally come to his senses."
Getting excited looking at the tripled performance bonus items thinking it's all his money.
But when next month comes, reality will return.
He won't receive the biggest incentives.
And even if he achieves all the remaining performance bonuses, it's far short compared to amounts offered by foreign countries.
"Then she said he'll come to me on his own, asking to revise the contract conditions. He'll be more obedient then."
Joo Yongwan said this with a sly smile.
"Huhu. The young friend knows how to handle people."
The secretaries heard this and thought to themselves.
'That Heavenly Demon guy...... chose the wrong agent.'
'Well, it's right to get in line with the elder if you want to do business.'
'Next month, that guy won't be able to act stubborn about training.'
An agent who would blur Heavenly Demon's eyes by showing only the amounts of performance bonus-focused contracts.
Then later when he realizes reality, bring him to make him obedient.
It was the worst behavior for an agent representing a player.
But everyone here didn't particularly question her behavior.
This was the behavioral pattern that numerous businesspeople had already been using.
To look good to congressmen at Joo Yongwan's level.
"Then contact the Management Office to raise it by 3 times each."
"Understood."
"I'll sleep a bit. Kids these days really drink well......"
Joo Yongwan yawned once more and entered his rest area.
On one side of the office.
As he entered, the secretaries busily moved according to instructions.
"About Lee Ganghan's contract......"
Until then.
'How long has it been since he became D grade to become C grade?'
'Score ranking 50th place...... they're all Diamond. There's no way an Iron could achieve it.'
'This is why economic education is essential for kids these days. They don't know what's advantageous.'
They thought Lee Ganghan had been completely fooled.
And a few hours later.
"The Management Office contacted us. That guy signed it."
"Really...... he signed that. Senior, this is why you need to choose agents well."
When news came that he had signed.
The secretaries gathered and made comments one by one.
"GLASS agent is so successful...... who would have thought they'd pull such tricks."
"Well. They were originally famous for treating players well, weren't they?"
"Still, to sign under those conditions...... wasn't he enchanted by Shin Yuri's face?"
"That's possible. That friend Lee Ganghan is 24 years old, right? It's when blood runs hot."
"Right. They say Shin Yuri's real appearance is no joke. If she deliberately tries to deceive, wouldn't he fall for it?"
While discussing Lee Ganghan's signature.
Around the time stories about being enchanted by Shin Yuri were exchanged.
"But...... he's not already C grade, is he?"
One of the secretaries.
Made a guess close to the 'correct answer' without realizing it.
But.
"Hey, does that make sense?"
"It hasn't even been a week since he became D grade."
"Well...... no matter how much he's playing a different game alone, that wouldn't be possible."
When other secretaries made comments one by one.
He didn't continue that speculation further.
Realistically.
Thinking that way was the 'correct answer.'
"We'll see Heavenly Demon in person next month."
"Still, he became a celebrity. Should we get his autograph?"
"He doesn't give autographs."
"Really?"
While they were convinced Lee Ganghan wouldn't be able to act stubborn anymore.
Ttiring.
A notification rang on one secretary's phone.
"Oh. This friend isn't a gentleman. He just started streaming."
"Really? Heavenly Demon's broadcasts end too quickly so there's nothing to watch."
"Today won't be like that. He's challenging stage 10."
"Oh. Really?"
Tower of Infinity stage 10.
Unlike before, this was a tower that gave a 2-hour time limit and measured how far you could climb.
"Then while the congressman sleeps, shall we watch that?"
"I wonder if he'll set a new record? The existing Iron record was 61 floors."
"There's a possibility. He's quite a monster."
"I want to watch too."
So the secretaries gathered in small groups and started watching Lee Ganghan's stage 10 tower climbing video.